6 Incredible Takeaways From Kate Middleton's Groundbreaking Podcast Interview

Given that she's given a small handful of interviews since joining the royal family, royal fans -- and the host herself -- found it to be a shock that Kate sat down for 30 minutes in what could be her most candid interview yet. 

Her appearance on the show was to promote her recent survey, 5 Big Questions on the Under Fives, which emphasizes the importance of the early years for people's well-being. 

During the special episode, Kate gave an unfiltered peek into her life as a mother. 

Here are a few interesting takeaways:

Although most of us always think of Kate's mum, Carole, as the biggest influence in her life, turns out Kate's grandmother played a significant role in her upbringing as well.

"I had an amazing granny who devoted a lot of time to us -- playing with us, doing arts and crafts, and going to the greenhouse to do gardening, and cooking with us," Kate said. "And I try and incorporate a lot of the experiences that she gave us at the time into the experiences that I give my children now."

Like most moms, Kate is busy. Throughout the hustle and bustle of each day, though, the duchess tries to find small moments that put everything in perspective. 

"I've got this one photo of Charlotte smelling a bluebell, and really for me it's moments like that mean so much to me as a parent," the duchess told Fletcher. "I try every day to put moments like that in, even if they're small or even if I don't have time."

Kate named a few childhood factors that she ultimately thinks influence a person's well-being most, and the first one was childhood relationships. 

"I think there's a few things that really stand out for me," she said. "One is quality of relationships. So, those moments that you spend with people that are around you. I remember that from my own childhood."

Hard to argue with that.

"There are also the environments you spend time in as well: a happy home, a safe environment," Kate said. "As children, we spent a lot of time outside and it's something I'm really passionate about. I think it's so great for physical and mental wellbeing and laying foundations."

The duchess continued: "It's such a great environment to spend time in, building those quality relationships without the distractions of 'I've got to cook' and 'I've got to do this.' And actually, it's so simple."

Sure, the duchess has access to top professionals in the childhood development field, but she knows she's learning most from the families with whom she's meeting.

"I think ultimately if you look at who's caring and looking after and nurturing children in the most vital period, from pregnancy all the way to the age of 5, you know parents and carers are right at the heart of that, and families are right at the heart of that, and although I've spoken to the scientists and the service providers, it's so important to listen to families," Kate said. "What is it that they aspire to? What are their challenges?"

Even though the duchess is pushing her 5 Big Questions survey hard right now, she's fully aware that it's going to take a while to accomplish what she's set out to do. 

"It's going to take a long time -- I'm talking about a generational change -- but hopefully this is the first small step: to start a conversation around the importance of early childhood development," she said. "It's not just about happy, healthy children. This is for lifelong consequences and outcomes."